Spring and equalizer system for electric locomotives.



.. w. E. Woon-ARD; SPRING AND EQLIZER SYSTEM POR IELEGTBIG LOGOMOTIVEB.4

APPLICATION FILED-unda. 190s.

Patented Apr. 20,1909.

. v2ISHLETS--SHEEI 1.

FIGJ.

UNITED sTATEs PA-'TENT OFFICE.I

` WILLIAM E. wooDARn', or soHENEc'rAnY,'NEw vonk, AssIGNoal To AMERICAN LoceMoTvE COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A coRPoRA'rIoN or Nnwvonxr.

spams AND EQUALrz'ER-'sxs'rsu 'non ELECTRIC Locorio'rxvnsi. 'i

Specification ci Letters Patent.

Patented A prn 20,1909.

` np'puceeqnmea september 19, 190s.. serial 110.1453370...

To allllwhol'm itco'n'cemj Be it known that. *L WILHAM E; Woon- ARD, of Schenectad inl-:the countyof Sehenl` ectady and State 'o New York, have invente ed a certain-.new and useful'lmprovement'in Spring and Equalizer' Systems for "Electric Locomotives, of whichimprovement the following .is a" specification.

Inelectric locomotives, by reason'of their" low center of gravity, and the location oi'the' cross centers .of the; driving springs outside ythe driving wheels, the. side-motion of the f spring supportedvmass ofthe locomotivefis less in extent and .takes 'placein a shorter .fPeriQd of time `than inthe case of steam locomotives. It is desirable, in orderto distribute the lateral ressure onthe track, due to the ength as possible, that 'as great a degree of ateral '-motionas is consistent -with safetyhould be allowed the spring 'supported parts, andv that this motion" should be' allowed to take lacefover as long a period vof'tirne as ,possi le.

2 5 l.The objeet of my invention is to provide a spring and equalizer systeiri, acting.. both in vhorizontal and vertical planes, by which.

.greater movement .of the spring supported mass vwill be permitted and its movement ojdistributed overa greater length of track, and. in the operation of which, movement, in

either direction, of the. 'spring sup orted mass, is not checked .by a single wheel) only, 'butthe side pressureqthereof' is equalized be-vr .tween',"nd transmitted to the track through,

` two ormore wheels.

"The improvement claimed is hereinaftervfullyset forth.'

gln. the accompanying drawings :4 Figure 1 solis' aj-Sideview, infelevatlon, offa ortion Oia "spring andequal'izer system for e ectric locomotives', illustratingan embodiment of `my "'nv'ention'; l."1`g;.,j2, a' plan ortop view of the.4 saine; Fig.. 3 a' view,"fp.artly.1n elevation and 45. 1partly'in vertical transverse section in the 'plane of one" of .the axles; Fig,` 4, alverticalvsection,...on an enlarged scale, through one of the horizental springs .and its .swivel bearing;

Fig. 5 ahorizontall section throughthe same; '50 Fig. 6, afside view, :infelevat1on,of a.swivel bearing supportjFig. `7, a view, s1m1lar tol Fig. 1,' illustrating a 'modificationfof struc-` tural detail; Fig..- 8, a plan or top view of the construction shown InfFig. 7; and, Fig. 9, a view, partlyin elevation andpartly 1n verlsupporting frame comprising suitab y cross .4 w 'tted'between. pairs of' pedestal jaws, 1 a, on

olling of t e locomotive,- over as great a rails of the frame membersandfare'couple 'at 'their lower ends, lto'equallz' e`1" s, 8, whichv tical transverse section in the' plane of vone'of the axles, of 'the same'g'. 'f

invention is hereiniillstrated*as apphedin an electrlcloconotive havin "amain connected bar side members, 1, ofthe standard type, wh1ch, with'th'ev mechanism carried thereon, are. spring su ported onl aplurality of pairs of wheels, 2, lxed -upon axles, 8,V the er transversely tothe track, lthroughy a lim Ited range of traverse, 'en the axles, land are supported and cushionedin their verticalj'i and'lateral movements, by' a'vertical and a horizontal. set ofspringsl and connecting equalizers, the construction ofwhich will no'w 'be described.

- Referring iirst to Figs. 1 to`6 inclusive, a '80 plate or leaf spring, 5, of semi-elli'v tic form,

having its set or' c uI-vatu yre 'in a vertlcal plane,

.is located above each of the frame'members,

l ,over each of the journal boxes, 4, thereof, the central band 5a, o f eac`h spring, bearing, 85 through a roller 5b.'on a1 vertical saddle, 6

' the lower end ofe whichb'ars on'the journal box. rThe outer en dsof the springs of .the outer axles, or those nearest `the ends ofthe locomotive, are coupled, by s ring hangers,

.7,fto bearing pins,7a, on whic the 'top rails.

ofthe frame members'bear, and the spring hangers, .7, of the ad'oining ends ot the springs, extend; downwardly belowthe'top 1 arev pivoted centrally', by pins, 8a, to vertical standards or bearing pieces`,1b, bolted to the frame. The frame and the-weight carried thereon, is thus suspended, through the vertical system of-springs, '5, `and equaliaer's, 8, on the journal boxes, 4, .and axles, 3,-w1th the capacityv of .verticalmovement relatively thereto, -in substantially ftheferdinal'y man* nen-f A plate' or leaf spring,9, havinglts'set or 1 curvature in la horizontalplane, is located adjacent tothe outer end ofeach ofthe jour- ,extending below said journal box and the.

in 'the inner ends of swivel supports, l0,

which are coupled, at their outer ends, by l pivot pms, 11a, to supports, '11, eachhavmg i tvvo vertical arms b( ted "to the opnosite sides or a journal box, and a horizontal base swivel support, 10.

By reference to Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that the swivel supports and connected springs, 9, are adapted to 'swing in' a vertical p ane relatively to the journal boxes, and that the springs, Q, are adapted to swing in a horizontal plane relatively to the jour-nal boxes, thus affording means for maintaining proper bearing of the springs on the journal boxes in both vertical and lateral movements of the frame members and the parts supported thereon; The ends of the springs, 9, are coupled, yby rods, 12, having ball or siviveling joints at their ends, to the ends of equalizers, 13, Which are pivoted by pins, 14,

to the lower portions of the supports which carry the equalizers, 8. A proper amount of end play or lateral traverse is allowed between the iiange's of the journal box slices, 4, and the side frame members, 1., and between the linner ends of the journ al'boxes and the outer faces, 2a, of the Wheel hubs, and

the shocks due to lateral motion are thus taken up ,and distributed over all the axles by the horizontal spring and equalizer system just described.

Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive illustrate a structural modification of the horizontal spring and equalizer system, in which the positions of the springs and equalizers are relatively reversed, that is to say; the springs, 9, in this instance, bear centrally on the supports, lb, fixed to the frame members, and their equalizers, 13, to which they are coupled by links, 12a, are pivoted, by pms, 14a, to pairs oi' upper and lower bearing bars, l5, which are connected by horizontal arms, 16, to

,journal box shoes 41"..

l described.

The relation-and operation ot the vertical and horizontal s )ring and equalizer systems are similarin tie two constructions above in each case, in striking a curve or a rough piece of track, the flange of the leading driver may bear hard against the rail. The springs of the horizontal system permit lateral movement, against spring re.-

sistance, of the journal box and shoes in the edestal, thus allowing the `next Wheel to ear against the rail ,and the equalizers of the horizontalv system distribute the pressure equally between these vtWo Wheels,` or tween as man applied to. f the spring supported mass acquires a lateral motion, either on or upon entering or .leaving curves, the lateral pressure-Will be dietiibutedover two or sorbed by one wheeland aXle,-as Wou more Wheels ahd axles,?instead of lbeing ab# d be the case when -no horizontal equalizing systhe Wheels as the system may be rough tracktern is used, as in the ordinary practice. ln the operation of my imjpirovement, by reason oi the conjoint action of the,` deflection ol' the springs in the vertical and the horizontal systems, agreater movement o'r the spring supj ported mass 1s permitted, involving a longer period of time and thus reducing the pressure per unit length of track.

l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. ln a locomotive, the combination of la main supporting frame, a plurality of vaxles on which said frame is carried with 'the capacity of relative vertical and lateral movement, a vertical spring and equalizer system through which the Weight carried by the frame is applied to and. distributed over the several axles, and a horizontal spring and equalizer system through which lateral prcssure exerted by the frame is applied to and distributed over the several ax es.

2. in a locomotive, the combination of a main su )porting frame, a plurality of axles, journal oxes fitted in said frame. with the y capacity of relative vertical and lateral l movement and providing bearings for said axles, springs bearing vertically on said journal boxes, equalizers pivoted on the frame and connected to said springs, sorings imparting their bearing horizontally to said journal boxes, and pivotcd equalizers connecting said. last specified springs.

3. .ln a locomotive, the con'ibination oi a main supporting frame, a plurality of' axles, journal boxes fitted in said frame with the. capacity of relative vertical and lateral movement and providing bearings for said axles, vertically acting springs bearing on said journal boxes, cqualizers pivoted on the frame and connected to said springs, horizontally acting springs bearing on said journal boxes and equalizers pivoted on the frame an connected to said horizontally acting springs.

4. a locomotive, the combination of a main su porting frame, a plurality of axles, journal oxes iitted in said frame with the capacity of relative vertical andl lateral movement and providing bearings for said axles, vertically' acting springs bearing on said journal boxes, equalizers pivoted on the frame and connected `to said springs, horizontally acting springs bearing on said journal boxes, equahzers iivoted on the frame and connected to sait horizontally.acting springs, and means for .permitting oscillae springs upon their bearings on the journa boxes.

5. ln a locomotive, the combination of a main su porting frame, a plurality of axles, journal oxes iitted in said frame with the capacity of relative vertical' and lateral l movement and providing bearings for said l axles, a vertical spring and equalizer system tory movement of said horizontally actinr n sa; Bwivel 'Supporta nd equalizers :fz'em for looO'IHoiYes',' comprisinga plurality bf horizontally'actingksprmgsl interposed between. the frame ma a plurality of journal boxes of :ad-looomotive and transmit-Ling and. dlstrlb'utmg lateral pressure to and among .the several journal boxes :through the intermediation ofv pivoted equalizers and links .by which the springs lare connected.

WILLIA'rfr E. WooDARD.

Witnesses: l

JAS.- M'CLAUGHLIN, 'W'. M. BATES. 

